Home: Message List - Sometimes you have to walk away

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

clnshirtz — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:05:06 GMT

in a high volume business like ours, you just take the good with the bad. you never know if your good customers will never refer you and hte people who you don't like, well, maybe if you please them, they are the type to go on and on about how great you are.

it's tough out there, people expect a lot and dont' want to pay for it

that's why we are not doing much delivery/pick-up anymore (that plus gas prices)

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

DomainDiva — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:42:30 GMT

You may be surprised at how many times I have not posted for the same reasons you pointed out as well. I have to eat my own dog food as well (to stay objective in a public forum) ... as Guy Kawasaki says.

Trust is probably the biggest issue in any client relationship since in the end it really boils down to dollars and cents in your world - advertising (hope I got it right) and aviation in my world.

One thing I have found though is that when the trust and longevity are there...the possibilities and 'good things resulting' are endless and of great benefit to all.

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

Iwrite — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:22:14 GMT

Actually, I am still talking to the client I had to fire. I am answering their questions and helping them find someone who is a better fit. And I am doing it for free. I want them to succeed. I would give you my reasoning for this but I don't feel like losing another post for it being inappropriate.

I agree we talk and place ourselves in their positions. But as my agency grows and the relationship with clients grow, some change may occur. I have seen clients outgrow agencies and vice versa.

Here are two quick examples:

The agency thought after several measurable successes the trust factor would grow. It didn't, and working with this client has become a drain on both the resources and the people of the agency. It is time for a change.
A client started the relationship cautiously but over time came to believe in the work of the agency, but the agency failed to recognize this and continues to play it safe - even after the client has said they want more. It is time for a change.

Whatever it is ego or maturity, there is a problem that after talking still exists. In advertising, your agency needs your trust. Without it they will not show you anything different or new. And in the end that only hurts your business. I'm going to post a question later this week that goes deeper into this.

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

DomainDiva — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:46:51 GMT

I have always tried to be the kind of customer that I want my customers to be. In other words: yes it is a one another world and we should treat others (regardless of their circumstances) the way we would like to be treated. I do not believe that there are certain 'classes' of people when it comes to this axiom.

Do we as business customers of another business always insist on everything being perfect? Do we try to nickle and dime every penny from a supplier squeezing their profit margin?

If you have a customer you see is heading towards problems or issues, do you discuss those with them before making a decision on whether or not to fire the client? (Which I have done as well...).

I don't know if our view "who our customers are" should evolve or the idea of "what would I as a small business owner want another small business owner to do for me" and then go from there. A lot of the problems I see in the client-customer relationship stem from ego..someone always wants to be the dominant player....I tell my clients up front that I am a team player. I will do what it takes to get the job done and I will always communicate with them so that when things do get messy (they always do on leases and returns) everyone on both sides will have the necessary information and tools to resolve the issue.

I have also been in situations where I have represented both sides at the same time...at the request of both parties....that's where you can really put the 'one another' axiom into practice.

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

Iwrite — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:51:26 GMT

Cool. So, our veiw of who are customer is should evolved? I don't think that is not something I have heard mentioned on this board. But it only makes sense that over time we become better at recognizing customers or situations who may be a problem.

Thanks.

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

SJCarpentry — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:38:01 GMT

I think it is important to be able to do this in a service business. Some people just expect or want too much, and when you deliver a service there is a subjective element. At the end of the day, you can lose your shirt on a bad customer.

It should also help you long term to think through who your target customers are

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

Lighthouse24 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:43:52 GMT

Good one! (Depending on the "abuse," it may not even be a choice. An owner/manager may be legally obliged to walk away in order to provide the right work environment for employees -- for example, if a customer continued to sexually harass an employee.) He should definitely add your suggestion if/when he revises the book.

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

Iwrite — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:21:36 GMT

Thank you for the response. These are signs we often ignore but end up paying for in the end.

I left the post unanswered because there is alway more to say on this subject.

Here is one more sign:

Your client is disrespectful and abusive of you or your employees. They are ruining the morale of your business.

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

FCPainter — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:20:59 GMT

It's a great move. If you redeploy that time to delighting another customer (who's likely to refer you), creating new sales opportunities, managing your finances etc you'll come out way ahead...and they'll go find a vendor who's better suited to them

Re: Sometimes you have to walk away

NatOnline — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:35:20 GMT

I walked away from my best customer when I had my graphic design firm.

I work together more than 2 years, but sometime customers are asking something I could not do for them.

My customer asked me to start building a catalog with 1/3 of pictures and descriptions, as you may know you cannot layout or create a catalog from scratch if you don't have all elements to work with. He never get it, so I just let him go.

I was sad we cannot find a way to work around his project, but unfortunately I did not have a magic hand.